


Trial by Fire

by soldmysoul



Series: Of Love and Junkers [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Australia, Established Relationship, F/M, Junkers - Freeform, Minor Character Death, Overwatch - Freeform, Sequel, hey look guys i finally started the sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-05-17 11:20:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14831324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldmysoul/pseuds/soldmysoul
Summary: Takes place after the events of Where There's Smoke. You, Junkrat, and Roadhog are now stationed at Watchpoint: Gold Coast and it is your task to try to help the irradiated Outback recover from Overwatch's past mistakes. How hard can it be?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! I'm finally getting this sequel to Where There's Smoke up and running. The past few months have been some of the most difficult of my life, but I'm hoping that things are on an upward trend now. Thanks to everyone who read the first part of this story, and if you haven't then I highly suggest that you do so! Otherwise, please enjoy Chapter 1 of this new adventure!

“Come on, then!” Junkrat hollers, a glint in his eye. He brandishes his frag launcher at the Junkers circling your camp, the deafening motorbikes and ATVs looking to be barely held together by miscellaneous scrap. You shoulder your own weapon, redoxxers at the ready, but Roadhog is the first to fire a shot from his scrap gun, taking out the front wheel of a renegade who’d strayed too close. The vehicle tumbles end over end, kicking up a cloud of red dirt in the setting sun, before the bike and driver skid to a motionless stop a dozen yards away. The other Junkers, wearing all manner of scrap as armor, signal to each other and speed away into the barren red wasteland, but not before Junkrat lands a well-aimed grenade right into one’s lap. He titters to himself as you see the driver scrambling to throw it away. Just in time, he chucks the explosive away and a fresh little crater is made in the Outback. The other miscreants leave trails of dust as they retreat. 

You begin to walk with Hog towards the rider who’d been taken out, just as Junkrat screams at the retreating troublemakers. “Tell everyone the Rat and Hog are back in Oz!” He cackles for added crazed emphasis. You just roll your eyes and trudge towards the downed bike while the behemoth of a man behind you approaches the still motionless driver. 

Roadhog nudges the body none too gently with his spiked boot. Still nothing. He rolls it over with his toe and it’s clear from the way the head lolls at an unnatural angle that the neck is broken. Hog huffs and kneels to start rifling through the pockets of the dead man, while you do your best to focus on gathering any valuables from the demolished bike. Just as you’re struggling to remove a useful looking component, a familiar shadow falls across you.

“Allow me, darl,” Rat says as he reaches around you, the tip of one of his prosthetic fingers flipping up to reveal a small screwdriver. He twists the screws out of place and you turn the piece over in your hands to examine it. It looks way too new to just be scrap from the GAFA, but you don’t question its condition any further as you slip it into your pocket. 

As you and Junkrat pull worthwhile hunks off the now useless bike, you can hardly believe it’s only been a few days since you left the new Overwatch base at Gold Coast. The first night in the Outback seems like it was ages ago, but that may be due to the weird new sleep schedule (or lack thereof) that you’ve adopted. Traveling at night makes it easier to avoid the miserable heat, and the high tech tent that the three of you share is made of some sort of material that basically blocks out all of the harsh sun during the day. You must remember to thank Torbjörn for that when you talk to him next. But you and your Junkers take turns keeping watch, and so you’ve only been able to sleep about four hours at a time before being woken, either for your turn to stand guard, or one of the others getting up for their turn. 

You sigh as you lean back from your task and wipe the ever-present sweat from your eyes. Roadhog has returned to your campsite that sits not too far away, packing things away so your little group can move on. The three of you are supposed to be out here for a week at a time on patrols, and you still have quite a ways to go before you can give this area the all-clear and head back home.  _ Home _ , you think dryly.  _ What a weird term for people like us _ . You look at your lanky boyfriend, his blond shock of hair glowing slightly in the sun’s setting rays, and then to Roadhog, taking such care to gather everyone’s belongings and ready them for the next leg of the journey.  _ Then again… _ . Lots of people say that “Home is where the heart is.” And as you look at your two companions, maybe that’s not such a bad idea. 

It will never cease to amaze you how cold it can get in the desert at night. To go from scorching heat to freezing cold in a matter of hours just boggles your mind, and now you understand why Rat had insisted that you pack plenty of cold weather clothes for patrols. You’d looked at him like he was insane, but heeded his advice nonetheless, and now you’re so thankful that you had done so. As the roar of Hog’s chopper and the whistle of the whipping wind fills your ears, your eyes water behind your goggles from the chill that seeps into your bones. Even with at least 3 layers on, you’re still cold. You huddle next to Junkrat, who’s somehow not as cold as you are. He’s always run hot, even though he has much less body fat than you. You glance up at Hog, who has just a single jacket covering his bulk, attention sweeping the surrounding landscape, but looks comfortable atop his steel steed regardless. 

You must have dozed off at some point, a feat in itself, because the next thing you know is the horizon is growing light and the motorcycle has come to a stop somewhere else in the seemingly endless wasteland. You peek over the edge of the sidecar to see Junkrat pressing a button on the case that contains the tent, watching it erect itself in less than a minute. You finally straighten yourself and stretch in your seat, extricating yourself from the cramped space. After glancing around your eyes rest on Roadhog, whose gaze is directed at you. As soon as you remove your goggles and smile at him, his ears redden slightly as he turns away to carry a few bags into the tent. You chuckle and shake your head before joining the Junkers inside the temporary shelter, bringing one more pack from the bike. 

“Ah, there’s the sleepin’ beauty!” Junkrat smiles as he kisses your head. “Was surprised ya managed ta nod off.” He unrolls one sleeping pad and then another as you locate the sleeping bags and settle them on top. 

“Yeah, me too. I’ll go ahead and take first watch after dinner. Breakfast. Whatever the fuck this meal is.” You shrug and grab a few ration packs, making sure one is a vegetarian meal. You lead the way outside to set up the compact camping stove, the others following. Everyone sits on the dirt as you distribute the packages. Veggie stew for Hog, chicken stew for you and Rat. You take turns heating your meals as the sun begins to crest the distant horizon. Another cloudless day. Each of you makes pleased little sounds as you devour the food. It doesn’t matter that it’s not a gourmet meal by any means. Food is food, and after a long night of travel, it tastes fantastic. 

Trash now put away, you usher the boys into the tent. “Go, rest! I’ll be fine, promise!” Junkrat hands you the single person pop-up shade that will protect you from the worst of the sun, along with a bottle of SPF 100 sunscreen. He looks doubtful.

“Just holler if ya see anything at all, alright?” He eyes you with concern. “And keep puttin’ that cream on or you’ll burn.” You glance at his now bare shoulders, noting the growing number of freckles that have appeared since you all arrived in Australia. 

“I’ve already done a few watch shifts, baby, don’t worry.” You smile and stand on tiptoe to kiss the freckle on his nose. He whines under his breath but finally retreats into the darkness of the tent. 

Hog hands you a canteen which you take gratefully. “Don’t forget to hydrate,” he rumbles. You nod and loop the strap around your neck. He stands looking at you for another moment, and you think he has something to add, before he turns and follows Junkrat, closing the tent flap behind him. 

You settle into your watch spot, finding a tarp that you fold into a square about a yard across, then set up the compact shade that Torbjörn had made along with the tent. It’s lightweight like the tent, and follows the sun so you don’t have to reposition it throughout the day.  _ That Swede really is a genius _ , you think as you slather sunscreen onto every visible inch of your body. 

It’s hard to make the time go quickly when you’re on watch duty. Once the red earth begins to heat up, you swear you see incoming shapes in the distance, but it’s just a mirage, a trick the heatwaves play on your head. When you glance at your watch you realize you’ve stayed an entire hour past your designated three hours on duty. You stand amidst protest from your cracking knees and turn towards the tent just in time to see Roadhog closing the entrance behind him. 

“Sorry, I lost track of time,” you explain, handing over the canteen and sunblock. “You get some okay sleep?” He nods in response, patting your head gently with his big hand. 

“Your turn. Sweet dreams,” he mumbles, passing you to take up his position under the shade. 

You nod and smile, ducking into the shelter. Junkrat is snoring away, sprawled across your sleeping bag and his own. You yawn and flop down next to him, repositioning his arms and legs on his side of the sleeping area to make room for yourself. He mumbles something in his sleep before flinging himself half across you. At least you’re used to this. His snores eventually lull you into a dreamless sleep, despite the stuffy interior of the tent. 


	2. UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an update

HELLO, ALL!!!

I know I've been ridiculously MIA for far too long. A  _lot_  has happened in my life lately. I'll try to summarize...

In May, my maternal grandmother who has Alzheimer's had an episode which resulted in my mother having to move in with her and me helping out a lot around both my mom's and grandma's houses. In that same month, I lost my paternal grandfather, whom I have been incredibly close to for my entire 26 years of life. As a result, my paternal grandmother and my entire family have had to adjust to not only losing him, but have gone from basically full-time care of him to suddenly refocusing our lives. It is a process for us all.

On top of this, I have also had a slight career change. For the last 3 years, I have been a substitute teacher at the high school level. As of 4 days before the start of this school year (talk about the 11th hour!), I am now in an 80% position teaching 4 periods of general science at the same high school where I graduated from and where my stepmom and dad work. I am concurrently working on my teaching credential and taking online classes, so I have to balance my own homework with creating my own lesson plans and grading and all that comes with being a full-time teacher. It's fun, but extremely challenging. 

And to make things more chaotic, there is wildfire blazing in Northern California barely more than an hour from my home, the Camp Fire (a bad name for it, thanks, CalFire). It is thus far the most destructive fire in California history and only partially contained. Dear friends of mine have lost everything, smoke has filled the northstate area, and my heart breaks for the entire town of Paradise which was essentially razed in less than 24 hours. It's hard to wrap my head around, and I have a feeling many changes will be coming to the state to facilitate the thousands and thousands of individuals who have been displaced during this tragedy. 

I tell you all this simply to give you a glimpse into my chaotic life as of late, and a possible explanation for my absence. I still love writing, I still have plans to finish this as well as my other fics. The fact is that I have no idea when I will have time for that, apart from possibly holiday breaks like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter (and summer, of course). Some of you have eagerly asked about when I will update again, and unfortunately this is the best answer I have for you. I ask for your patience while I navigate this tricky but exciting chapter in my life. If you're eager for updates, I advise that you subscribe to my fic, and you'll get email notifications when updates are available.

Thank you for your understanding and continued patience! 

~Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Still sorta trying to figure out where this plot will go. I have a few ideas, and hopefully I'll be able to update y'all soon! Thanks for reading!


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